Environmental Epidemiological Study of Cancer Incidence in the Municipalities of Hausmannstätten...

7/28/2019 Environmental Epidemiological Study of Cancer Incidence in the Municipalities of Hausmannsttten & Vasoldsberg

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Environmental Epidemiological Study

of Cancer Incidence in the Municipalities of

Hausmannsttten & Vasoldsberg (Austria)

English Executive Summary

Translation by Katharina Gustavs

Source: http://www.verwaltung.steiermark.at/cms/ziel/21212/DE/

Dr. Gerd Oberfeld


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Environmental Epidemiological Study

of Cancer Incidence in the Municipalities of

Hausmannsttten & Vasoldsberg (Austria)

Commissioned by

Provincial Government of Styria,

Department 8B, Provincial Public Health Office, Graz (Austria)

Conducted by

Dr. Gerd Oberfeld, Salzburg (Austria)

20 January 2008


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Case-Control Study on a NMT 450 Cell Tower and Cancer 3 of 10

Executive Summary

It was the studys objective to determine whether cancer cases that became known in the

eastern part of Hausmannsttten or Vasoldsberg, respectively, represent a cluster with regard

to timing and location as well as whether they might be associated with the mobile phonebase station, which operated as a car phone service from 1984 to 1997. The analog mobile

phone base station under study was part of the national C-Network, installed by the Austrian

post and communications authority and operated according to the Nordic Mobile Telephone

450 (NMT 450) standard. The cell radii of this network were usually up to 30 km.

The area under study was defined as a circle with a 1,200-m radius around the former

transmitter. With the help of the provincial government of Styria (GIS Steiermark) and themunicipalities of Hausmannsttten and Vasoldsberg, n=2,543 potential study participants

could be located and personally invited to participate in the study. By applying limiting

exposure conditions such as the assumption of a latency period, an after-effect period and a

5-year minimum exposure period, three different case-control samples were compiled.

Sample A (67 cases/1242 controls) and B (67 cases/646 controls) included living and deceased

cases, sample C (28 cases/56 controls) living cases only.

Based on the selected exposure period limits, the distance assessment for the range from 0 to

200 m around the transmitter in comparison to the area from 201 to 1,200 m showed a

significantly increased cancer risk for all three samples, which makes for a distinct incidence

with regard to location. The incidence was particularly pronounced for breast and brain

tumors.

The exposure assessment with regard to the analog transmitter (NMT450) was conducted on

an individual basis for all three samples (A, B, C), using calculations based on NIRView and

CORLA software products. Taking into account the antenna characteristics, natural terrain

and built environment, the transmitter input power was based on 25 watts for a continuously


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transmitting calling channel. The respective power density level was determined for a total of

1,309 individuals.

It was a question whether to determine the exposure level of a continuously transmitting

calling channel only or the calling channel plus (probably) three traffic channels. From a

precautionary point of view, the exclusive consideration of the calling channel is desirable,

which was done in this assessment.

Furthermore, 25 m to the east of the original transmitter site (NMT450), a simulated

transmitter was installed with the same antenna height (8 m above ground) and the actively

transmitting test signal (434.2 MHz) was measured at the selected frequency in the bedrooms

of 84 study participants (sample C only). In addition, participants of this sample also

answered an extensive questionnaire on cancer risk factors and protective factors in a

personal interview. The analysis of this data revealed that these factors could not explain the

local incidence we found or the relationship with the RF radiation exposure.

The essential assessment focused on the relationships between the RF radiation exposure

levels from the transmitter and cancer risk. The risk (odds ratio=OR) was assessed for the

exposure categories 10-100 W/m, 100-1000 W/m and greater than 1000 W/m

(1 mW/m) in relation to the reference category less than 10 W/m, all of which apply to

outdoor levels.

For all models, the analysis revealed significantly increased risk ratios. Compared to the

reference category (1000 W/m) was 5 to 8 times higher, depending on the sample. Similar to the

distance assessment, the cancer cases were again most pronounced for the cancer sites breast

and brain.


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In comparison to the reference category (1000 W/m) of sample A was 23 times higher for breast cancer and 121 times

higher for brain tumors. For all three endpoints under study (all sites, breast, brain)

significant exposure-effect relationships (p for the trend) were observed.

Detailed results for sample A are summarized in the chapter below, called Summary of the

Risk Calculations for Sample A. With its higher number of controls, sample A has an

advantage over sample B because its statistical power is slightly higher. In addition, sample-A

participants are taken mainly from the registry and therefore rather independent of their

willingness to participate.

In summary, based on the selected exposure period limits, the study showed a significant

cancer incidence with regard to timing and location in the area around the transmitter as well

as significant exposure-effect relationships between RF radiation exposure and the incidence

of breast cancers and brain tumors.

This case-control study is the first worldwide to investigate the relationship between cancer

risk and a mobile phone base station by means of a special calculation software as well as

historically simulated measurements. For various reasons, the study of NMT base stations

makes sense. For example, the antenna characteristics are adequately known. Generally

speaking, all that is required to simulate exposure levels is information about the site and the

antenna height. Furthermore, in the exposure time period from 1984 to 1997, RF radiation

exposures were still rather straightforward, a fact that makes the research on health impacts

from these new technologies increasingly more difficult.


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Summary of Risk Calculations for Sample A

In the tables and graphs below, the results of the multivariate risk calculations for sample A

adjusted for age, gender and vital status can be found.

All Cancer Sites

Exposure (outdoor) Controls Cases OR 95 % CI p-value p-trend

1000 W/m 16 4 8.5 2.4-30.2 0.001

Table 1: Sample A All Cancer Sites: Results of logistic regression for exposure variables (exposure calculation -

outdoor) adjusted for age, gender and vital status. Exposure-effect relationship

Cancer Risk (all sites)

for analog transmitter (NMT450)

Calculation with NIRView/CORLA outdoor level

Adjusted for gender, age, vital status

67 cases/1,242 controls, p for the trend 0.001

Hausmannsttten-Vasoldsberg Cancer Study

Oberfeld 2007

10.7

1.4

2.4

1.01.3

3.4

8.5

1

2.5

8.3

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

< 10 W/m 10-100 W/m 100-1000 W/m >1000 W/m

RiskasOddsRatio

30.2

Graph 1: Sample A All Cancer Sites: Results of logistic regression for exposure variables (exposure calculation -

outdoor) adjusted for age, gender and vital status. Exposure-effect relationship


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Cancer Site: Breast

Exposure (outdoor) Controls Cases OR 95 % CI p-value p-trend

1000 W/m 16 2 22.5 3.6-136.6 0.0007

Table 2: Sample A Cancer Site Breast: Results of logistic regression for exposure variables (exposure calculation

- outdoor) adjusted for age, gender and vital status. Exposure-effect relationship

Cancer Risk (breast)for analog transmitter (NMT450)





Oberfeld 2007

10.3 0.3

3.6

1.0 1.1

2.6

22.5

1

4.5

22.7

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

22

24

< 10 W/m 10-100 W/m 100-1000 W/m >1000 W/m

RiskasOddsRatio

136

Graph 2: Sample A Cancer Site Breast: Results of logistic regression for exposure variables (exposure

calculation - outdoor) adjusted for age, gender and vital status. Exposure-effect relationship


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Cancer Site: Brain

Exposure (outdoor) Controls Cases OR 95 % CI p-Wert p-trend

1000 W/m 16 2 121.1 7.0-2086.0 0.001

Table 3: Sample A Cancer Site Brain: Results of the logistic regression for exposure variables (exposure

calculation - outdoor) adjusted for age, gender and vital status. Exposure-effect relationship

Cancer Risk (brain)

for analog transmitter (NMT450)





Oberfeld 2007

1 0 1.27

1.0 0.0

20.3

121.1

1

28

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

110

120

< 10 W/m 10-100 W/m 100-1000 W/m >1000 W/m

RiskasOddsRatio

2086355

Graph 3: Sample A Cancer Site Brain: Results of logistic regression for exposure variables (exposure calculation

- outdoor) adjusted for age, gender and vital status. Exposure-effect relationship


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Illustrations

Right Side of the Picture: Telephone Exchange Center with C-Network Transceiver (NMT 450), 8071

Hausmannsttten, Property No. 865, KG Hausmannsttten, 1994. Source: W. Sabutsch.

Immission Calculation CORLA (Building Model) for C-Network Transmitter at the 2.35-m Layer above

Ground, data basis GIS-STMK.

TransmitterAntenna

ReceiverAntennas


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General View of Former Roof Site of NMT450 (C-Network)

Telephone Exchange Center, Site of Simulated C-Network

Transmitter and Current Mobile Phone Tower GSM/UMTS,

March 2006

Simulated C-Network Transmitter

Installed at Mobile Stacking Truck,

March 2006

CurrentGSM /UMTSTower

SimulationTransmitter

FormerNMT450 Site

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